Kiddy car



Feb. 20, 1945. w. c. AUPPERLE 2,369,934

KIDDY CAR Filed April 5; 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Y WW m [w r M M M Feb. 20,1945. w. c. AURPERLE 2,369,934

KIDDY CAR Filed April :5, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 "Q INVENTOR. BJ MZL/AM G. 4z/PPe/2LE.

magnum r provided for driving these rear wheels.

Patented Feb. 20, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Q I Y 7 2,369,934 I KIDDY CAR 7 William C. Aupperle, Runnemede, N. J. Application April 3, 1944, Serial No. 529,362

. 1 Claim.

as Irish mails, which operate on the broad principle of transmitting power from a hand actuated lever at the front to the rear driving wheels. However, with theknown toy vehicles of this type, gear wheels, or comparable metal parts, are essential requirements; and, with the advent of the present world war, metals are not available for the production of uch articles.

Accordingly, this invention has in view, as its foremost objective, the provision of a manually propelled vehicle of the character aforesaid, which may be made almost entirel of wood, and thus be adapted to present-day manufacture;

In carrying out this idea, the invention proposes a vehicle including a pair of rear driving wheels both of which are made from wood; These wheels are mounted on an axle that is carried by the vehicle body, and an important feature of the invention lies in the novel mean In accordance with this invention, a pitman is adapted to each wheel and has its free end Yet another object of the invention is the provision of a vehicle of the character aforesaid which is of the tricycle type. That is, a singlewheel in front is employed for the steering and is preferably under control of the feet of the operator.

Various other more detailed objects ,and advantages of the invention, such as arise in connection with carrying out the above noted thoughts in a practical embodiment, will in part become apparent and in part be hereinafter stated, as a description of the invention proceeds.

The invention, therefore, comprises a manually propelled vehicle ma'de substantially completely of wood, which includes a pair of rear driving wheels which are individually driven by pitman connections that are offset with respect to each other. t I

For a full and more complete understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the fola shaft member 21.

lowing description and accompanying drawings,

wherein: v

Figure 1 is a viewin side elevation of a toy made in accordance with the precepts of this invention; and

Figure 2 is a side view showing the several part entering into the vehicle construction in exploded relation. 1

Referring now to th drawings wherein like reference characters denote corresponding parts,

and first more particularly to Figure 2', the vehicle is shown as comprising a, main'bo-dy part referred to in its entirety by the reference char-- acter B. The body B includes a seat portion In designed to carry th operator and a forwardly extending tongue ll. Adjacent the side edges and near the front of the seat portion H], the latter is formed with a pair of slots l2 and 13. The free end of the tongue II is formed with a bearing opening l4..

A bifurcated or fork-shaped wheel carrier is shown at 15 and carries a cylindrical post l6 that projects through the bearing opening M. ,A fibre washer I1 is interposed between the lower face of. the tongu H and the upper surface of the fork l5, and another fibre washer I8 is p0- sitioned over the post IS on the upper face of the tongue H. A steering bar I9 is anchored to the post [6 above the washer I8 by the opening 20,

which receives the post I6 and a fastening element such as the screw shown at Zl. Additional support for the fork wheel carrier I5 is provided in the form of a bracket member 22 which bears against the underface of the tongue I l.

The wheel'23 of wood is carried by the fork l5, mounting being achieved by an axle 24 which passes through aligned openings in the fork l5 and wheel 23. Fibre washers shown at 25 may be positioned on each side of each leg of the fork, and cotterpins, such as indicated at 26, maintain the assembled relation.

Extending across each of the slots I2 and I3 is Cotterpins, shown at 28, may be employed to hold the shaft 21 in position. One hand lever 29 is pivotally mounted on the shaft 27 in the slot [2, and another hand lever 30 is pivotally mounted on the shaft 21 in the slot [3.

Referring now more particularly to Figure 1, wherein the hand levers 29 and 30 are illustrated,

, it will be noted that a pitman 3| has one end pivotally connected to the lower end of the lever 32, while a second pitman 33 has one end similarly connected to the lower end of the handlever 30.

Referring again to Figure 2, it will be noted that an axle carrier 34 depends from the lower face of the seat portion In and is strengthened and made more rigid by the supporting member 35. Screw fastening elements, such as indicated at 36, may be employed to assemble the parts 34 and 35 together and on the seat portion IU of the body B. M V I V H A rear axle 3 1 is carried by the carrier 34,. arid this axle 31, in turn, has rotatably mounted thereon a pair of rear driving wheels 38 and 39. There is a fibre washer 40 on each side of each driving wheel, and cotterpins 4| maintain the assembled relation of the driving wheels on the axle.

The rear end of the pitman 3| is pivotally connected to the driving wheel 38 in off-center rela tion with respect to the axle 37, the pivotal connection being depicted at 42. Likewise, the pit man 33 has its rear fid pivetaily connected to the driving wheel 39 with the pivotal connection o'flset with respect to the axle" 31, It is important to note that each of the pitnians 3| and 33 is cut away, asshown at 43 in Fig'ii'fe 2, to provide clearances for the extremities of the aiile 37 as'the itmans are operated; I

From the foregoing, it is apparent that, with the exception of a few fastening elements and erha s the rear tune, the 'efiti'l' Vehicle may be made from wood and fibre washers. Moreover, the pitmans 3| and 33 are so connected to the driving wheels 38 and 39 in staggered relation, so as to make it impossible for both wheels, at the same time, to assume-a dead center position.

In operation, the user of the vehicle employs both hands to perform'the driving operations, while the feet are employed for steering purposes.

While a preferred specific embodiment of the invention is hereinbeforeset forth, it is to be clearly understood that the invention is not to be limited to the exact constructions illustrated and described, because various modifications of these details may be provided in putting the invention into practice, within the purview of the appended claim. ,What is' claimed is:

In a wooden vehicle of the character described, a main body having seat and tongue portions, the front part of said seat portion being formed with a pair of closed slots, there being a slot at each. side of said seat portion a root operated steering wheel being carried by said tongue portion, a pair of rear driving wheels carried by's'aid seat portion, a wooden shaft in each of said slots, a pair of hand levers ivotany mounted 0Y1 Said shafts in said siots, and a p ir of pitfn'ans' operativeiy connecting the lower extremities of said hand levers to said difiving'wheels.

WILLIAM C; AUPPERLE. 

